Take a Chance on Me
by ch3lsk0
Summary: All Quinn wanted in life was for someone to take a chance on her, and it wasn't until Ms. Berry walked through the doors of the choir room and put back together the Glee Club—and ultimately Quinn's heart—did she find that someone. Mostly canon, but AU in which Rachel never attended McKinley and is a few years older. Teacher!Rachel/Student!Quinn. Faberry. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**Title:** Take a Chance on Me

**Full summary:** After the loss at Nationals, Mr. Schuester stayed in New York to star on Broadway with April Rhodes. With the Glee club seemingly disassembled, the kids lost touch over the summer—Quinn more so than anyone. With freshly dyed pink hair, a still healing tattoo, and a new smoking habit, she entered her senior year broken. All she wanted in life was for someone to take a chance on her, and it wasn't until Ms. Berry walked through the doors of McKinley and put back together the Glee Club—and ultimately Quinn's heart—did she find that someone. Mostly canon up to the third season, but AU in which Rachel is a few years older and she attended Carmel High School, and thus Shelby never adopted Beth. Teacher!Rachel/Student!Quinn. Faberry.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee.

**A/N:** I honestly didn't want to start another story until I finished Staring at the Sun, but this would not leave my head. I totally haven't given up SatS, and I'll try to update it soon, but I just wanted to get this prologue out and see what you all thought.

* * *

"Excuse me! May I have everyone's attention?" Hiram tapped his wine glass to quiet down the rowdy group. "Thank you. I just want to have a toast to my little star. Not only was she one of twenty students nationwide to gain early acceptance to the very competitive New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts—"

"Daddy! You flatter me!" Rachel feigned modesty.

"It's not flattery when it's true!" Brody pitched in. Rachel blushed when their gazes met.

Hiram continued, "but now she has graduated that very school with a Masters of Fine Arts degree!"

The woman next to Brody huffed, but ultimately put her glass in the air as well. "You walked into my dance class six years ago with a pink leotard and a too optimistic attitude. I tried all I could to knock you down to teach you a lesson, Berry, but you just stood back up stronger and ended up schooling _me_. I'm glad to say I had you as a student..." Brody elbowed her in the side. She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, "…and now as a friend."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Th-thank you, Ms. July."

Cassandra smirked. "You can call me Cassie now."

Rachel grinned. "Cassie."

"And now she's going to take Broadway by storm, just like her mother!" April called out as she took a swig of her drink. A chorus of agreements were shouted all throughout the graduation party. A curly haired man next to April blushed and sheepishly took the drink out of her hand.

"Now, Now!" Leroy put his hands up. Once everyone quieted down, he held up his glass, "even if you decided to go a different path, Rachel," murmurs of protest were heard throughout the crowd and Leroy raised his voice to continue, "we'd still be so proud of you. We _are_ so proud of you. Whatever you do with your life, we'll be behind you one hundred percent."

The protesting stopped and the party goers shouted their agreements.

"Don't worry, dad, Broadway has been my destination my whole life." She gave a tight smile.

"To Broadway and Rachel Berry!" Someone called out from the crowd.

She winced and downed her own glass as everyone finished up their toasts. She interacted with a few more people before making her way outside.

"You took Vocal Adrenaline to Nationals four years in a row—each time with a first place trophy, may I add—and just graduated from the top performing arts school in the country. Don't tell me the party was getting too much for you."

Rachel chuckled. "Every performer needs a little breather now and then. You were the one who taught me that, Shelby."

Shelby saddled up next to the young woman she gave up for adoption twenty-four years ago and once again thanked the heavens she was allowed into her life. She shook herself out of her musings and turned to Rachel. "That is true. Especially when you get caught up in your first big production. Speaking of which…" Shelby's eyes widened in excitement.

"No."

Shelby frowned. "No? But you didn't even—"

"I told you, Shelby, I don't want to use your influence to get me any parts."

"But, honey—"

"I don't need any help!" Rachel took a deep breath. "I apologize. I just… I just want to do this myself." She gave a weak grin. "Besides, I'm officially a NYADA alumni; I think that will do wonders on my résumé." She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Shelby frowned. "Something tells me it's not a lack of roles that's the problem."

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek. "I've worked for this my whole life. I know if I auditioned for a role right now, I'd probably get it, but…" She sighed before continuing, "why do I feel so empty?"

"I think you wanted it so badly that you never took the time to stop and smell the roses."

Rachel turned around at the voice. "Who are you?"

"Rachel, this is Will Schuester. He plays alongside April in _Crossrhodes: The April Rhodes Story_." Shelby explained.

Rachel nodded. "Nice to meet you. Now, what were you saying earlier?"

"Rachel." Shelby chastised.

Will chuckled. "I know that empty feeling. Before I came to Broadway, I spent most of my life striving to make my wife—well, _ex_-wife happy."

"But this is different." Rachel argued. "Broadway changed that for you, didn't it? How can it do that for me when I've been striving towards it _my_ whole life?"

He shook his head. "You didn't let me finish."

The brunette huffed and crossed her arms. "I have a party to—"

"Glee club changed it for me."

"—get back to… Wait, glee club? I was already part of a glee club. A very successful glee club that won Nationals four years in a row. And while I truly enjoyed my time in Vocal Adrenaline, I really don't think I'd be allowed back in given my age—"

"No, no. Coaching glee club."

"Coaching?"

"Will, what are you getting at?" Shelby side-eyed him. She's known him for years, and the twinkle in his eye never meant anything good.

He grinned. "I'm going to be blunt. I think you should take over my old position as glee club coach at McKinley High School."

"What?"

Shelby's eyes widened. "That's all the way back in Ohio!" She argued.

Rachel ignored her mother and studied the man in front of her. "Why?"

"Listen, I told you. I know what it's like to strive for something and not stop to smell the roses. Teach glee club at McKinley; have a change of scenery and take a little breather from the glitz and glam of New York." He kept quiet about how the club was over if they didn't get someone to coach them, but he hoped he wouldn't have to bring it up if he managed to convince her to apply for the position. When he saw her earlier in the night, he immediately recognized the same tired look he sported all those years with Terri and knew he had a way of changing it and saving the glee club all at the same time. He met her gaze. "You never know, you may find the inspiration you need." He ran a hand through his hair with a nostalgic smile, "God knows I sure did." He shook his head and looked back up at the budding young woman with so much potential but a dwindling fire in her eyes. "Take a chance."

"Rachel, think this through." Shelby cautioned, but as she watched Rachel converse with Will about New Directions, she swore she saw something she hasn't seen in years.

A spark reignite in her daughter's eyes.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee; however, I will be using some of the exact same dialogue from the show since this takes place in the third season.

**A/N:** wowowowow. I am overwhelmed at the amount of alerts the prologue got! Thank you! I can only hope I can write up to everyone's expectations lol!

* * *

"Hey, Wheels!" Rick shouted as he caught up to Artie. "You're no longer on the football team _and _you don't have your queer little club anymore to back you up." He grinned as he pulled a Big Gulp cup from behind his back.

Artie's eyes widened. "No, please! Y-you have the power here! You don't have to do this."

"Damn right I do. You're back at the bottom of the food chain…" He nodded for a few other hockey players to surround the defenseless boy. "…right where you belong." He and his teammates raised their arms and threw the drinks.

Artie sputtered and coughed as the ice cold beverage splattered across his face and sweater.

"Think of this as a welcome back party, Wheels." Rick tossed the empty cup behind him as he and the rest of the boys walked away laughing. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, and the rest of the losers that were in your wannabe glee club are invited." He winked before taking off.

The warning bell rang.

Artie wiped his hands over his glasses and smeared the slushy off the lens. A flash of red caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and locked eyes with Finn. The tall boy adjusted his red letterman jacket before turning on his heel. Artie frowned when Puck shrugged and followed him to class.

"And right around the corner is Ms. Pillsbury's office—Artie!" Tina gasped when she caught sight of her friend.

The person next to Tina gaped in horror at the colorful scene in front of her. "Wha-what _happened?_"

Artie sighed as he took off his glasses to try to properly clean them. "It's open season again."

"Open season? What in the world is that supposed to mean? Did… did a _student_ do this to you?"

Artie wiped off his glasses as best as he could with a slushy-stained sweater. He hoped to the heavens that his backpack strapped to his wheelchair didn't get damaged; it contained extra clothes just in case of these very scenarios. "What do you think?" He looked up at the blurry figure before putting his glasses on.

"This… this is horrible! We absolutely must report this! This is just wrong and inhumane on so many levels!"

Artie's eyes adjusted and the blurry figure in front of him came into focus. His mouth dropped open at the amount of leg such a small woman could have. He traveled his eyes upwards and stared in awe.

"…American Civil Liberties Union—hey, are you okay? Oh, my God. I think he's gone into shock! He's gone into shock!"

Artie blinked and shook his head. The person swept her brunette bangs out of her eyes and looked at him. He blushed at the concerned gaze she was bestowing upon him. "N-no. I'm fine. I'm used to this."

"Used to this? This barbaric crime has happened before?"

"It's a regular occurrence to the glee club—or, well, what used to be the glee club." A boy in a football letterman stated as he approached them. "I got your text, Tina."

Tina rose up from behind Artie's chair where she was unstrapping his backpack and handed it to the new arrival. "Thanks for coming, Mike."

"No problem. So who was it this time? Was it the football team? I've tried talking to them, but I don't have as much pull as the so called captain does." He grimaced.

"It was the hockey team." Artie answered.

"More than one student did this?" The brunette asked in horror.

Artie nodded and shivered. "As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I really need to get changed…"

"Oh, yeah! Of course, man!" Mike rushed behind him to push towards the boys' bathroom.

"Though I wish we could've met under other circumstances, it was nice meeting you!" Artie called behind him.

"I'll text you later, Tina." Mike said to his girlfriend before nodding a goodbye to the new girl next to her.

"This needs to stop."

Tina looked at the person next to her and shook her head. "It's been a sad tradition at McKinley High that will probably continue for years to come."

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "Not if I have something to say about it."

The final bell rang.

"Yeah, good luck." Tina said halfheartedly. "But look, I need to get to class! Ms. Pillsbury's office is that way." She pointed down the hall. "I'll see you later!" She rushed in the direction of her first class before abruptly turning around. "Oh, hey, I didn't catch your name—Where is she going?" Tina wondered as the figure stormed off in the opposite direction of the guidance counselor's office.

* * *

"_Welcome back, students and faculty, to a new year at McKinley High School."_

Kurt tuned out the monotone voice of Principal Figgins over the loudspeaker in his first period class and turned to the other occupant of the lab table. He opened his mouth to say something only to notice her trying to secretly text someone with her hands under the table. His gaze shifted towards the grin on her face and he smirked.

"…_if anyone knows what happened to the recliner in the teacher's lounge…"_

"Who ya texting?"

"Sweet baby Jesus!" Mercedes jumped in her seat at the unexpected close proximity of Kurt. She let out a low breath as she turned to him. "Damn, boy. You scared me!"

He chuckled. "So, you wouldn't happen to be texting a certain Blonde Bieber, would you?"

Mercedes shook her head. "I told you Kurt, Samcedes was only a summer thing." She bit her lip. "He moved away, so I had to move on."

"Long distance sucks." Kurt frowned in sympathy. "I know your struggle, 'Cedes. I'm still trying to convince Blaine to transfer to McKinley."

"He still hasn't given you a definite answer?"

"Unfortunately, no… hey, wait, don't try to change the subject, missy! If not Sam, then who is it that's putting a smile on that gorgeous face?"

"Shane." She coyly looked down at the table.

"Shane…" Kurt tried to put a face to the name. His eyes widened in excitement. "The linebacker?" At her nod, Kurt clapped his hands in enthusiasm. "While definitely not _my_ first choice…or, well, last choice to be honest. Hey! Don't hit me! I was just being honest! Anyway, I'm still so happy for you—"

The door to the classroom opened and interrupted their gossip. They watched as Mike entered and spoke to the teacher before looking for a seat. He scanned the room and his eyes landed on the two friends. Kurt raised a dubious eyebrow at the boy and Mike broke the gaze by walking to the other side of the room.

"…_a repeat of last year with the flute. So to all band members, I cannot stress this enough, please only use the instruments as instructed…"_

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Kurt's scoff. "Oh, come on." She lightly elbowed him. "Mike's been nothing but nice to us ever since joining glee—"

"Yes, but with the club no longer active, he's sided with _them_."

"He didn't side with anyone, Kurt. You're acting like this is sophomore year all over again."

A paper plane hit Kurt in the back of the head. He whipped around to glare at the offender, only to see Santana give a little wave in his direction. "Real mature, Satan."

"Good morning to you, too, Lady Lips."

"…_Synchronized Swim Team practice has been moved to 4:30…"_

"Sometimes it _does_ feel like sophomore year all over again." Kurt huffed as he touched the back of his hair to ensure nothing was out of place.

"…_Sylvester has requested an emergency Cheerios practice outside at the field in approximately 5 minutes. Thank you, students and facul—oh, there's one more thing…"_

Santana stood up from her desk and gathered her bag to make her way out of the classroom.

"…_the Glee Club will meet at 3:30 in the choir room today."_

The cheerleader paused at the door. She slowly turned around and met Kurt's puzzled look. She looked around and saw the confusion on both Mercedes and Mike's faces as well.

"_That is all. Thank you, students and faculty, and welcome back to McKinley!"_

* * *

Finn furrowed his eyebrows at the announcement. He nudged Puck in the shoulder. "Maybe… Maybe Mr. Schuester is back?"

Tina listened to the interaction from the back of the class with a torn expression on her face. On one hand, the possibility of the club she once loved being back together got her hopeful, but on the other…

"Dude, you gonna go?" Finn shrugged in response, and Puck rolled his eyes. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

"Yeah…" Finn squinted his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

Puck smirked. "I heard Holly Holiday is back from Cleveland and is the new Spanish teacher. Maybe she took over Schue's job as glee coach." He waggled his eyebrows at the suggestion of the attractive blonde.

Finn high-fived him.

* * *

"…_the Glee Club will meet at 3:30 in the choir room today. That is all. Thank you, students and faculty, and welcome back to McKinley!"_

Quinn sat up on the recliner she was lounging on as Principal Figgins' voice rang throughout and around the school.

"Heh. Glee club." Mack snorted as she plopped down on the ground next to Quinn's feet. She grabbed the cardboard box the pink haired girl was using as a foot rest and set it in front of her. "I can't believe you were ever part of that club."

Ronnie sat down next to her and reached into her purse. She pulled out a plastic bag and emptied the contents on the cardboard box. She glanced at the girl in question before widening her eyes. "Hey, when did we get a couch?"

Quinn glowered at the two and took a long drag of her cigarette. She ran a hand through her messy hair and exhaled her response, "first, it's a recliner," she flicked the cigarette to the ground and leaned on the armrest, "and second, Sheila and I jacked it from the teacher's lounge last night."

"Damn right!" Sheila enthusiastically called out as she walked underneath the bleachers and towards the group. Her eyes lit up when she saw what was about to go down.

"Shit! I forgot my grinder at home!"

"Calm down, Ronnie. Just grind that shit up with your fingers." Sheila rolled her eyes.

"But—"

"Oh, the struggle!" Mack mocked as she stood up. She reached into her back pocket and tossed a switchblade onto her friend's lap. "Here you go, princess."

Ronnie grinned and opened the knife. "You're a lifesaver."

"I know I am." She stretched her arms in the air before throwing herself onto the pink haired girl on the recliner. "So, Quinnie…"

Quinn quirked an eyebrow up in response.

Mack smirked. "Are you going to the glee club meeting today?" She frowned when she got no response. She sat up and looked at her face. "Wait, are you actually going to it?"

Quinn bit her lip. Her hand twitched on the armrest before she scrunched her face in disgust. "Fuck no. I'm not going back to glee club."

Mach exaggeratedly exhaled a sigh of relief before leaning back in Quinn's arms.

"Done!" Ronnie stabbed the knife into the cardboard box in victory. She pulled out a bowl from her purse and started packing it. "Q-ball, gimme your lighter."

"You never gave it back to me, dumbass."

"Oh, right." She once again went into her purse and pulled out the lighter. She lit the bowl and took a long hit of it before passing it to Sheila with a few coughs.

"Damn!" Sheila wheezed out after she was done. "That's some good shit." She nodded excitedly and gave it to Mack.

Mack placed her thumb on the side and gave the lighter to Quinn. "Light me up, Quinnie!"

Quinn grimaced before working the lighter a few times until it finally lit. She held it to the bowl while Mack inhaled.

"Hot damn. Sheila's right," Mack exhaled, "that _is_ good." She offered the bowl to the girl she was sitting on.

"Nah, I'm fine."

"You say that every time!" Ronnie whined.

"No, really—" Quinn started but was cut off when the girl on top of her put it to her lips.

Mack rolled her eyes at the hesitant look on Quinn's face. "Here, gimme that…" She took the lighter from Quinn's fingers with her right hand and nodded to the bowl in her left. Quinn glanced at the expectant looks on the other girls' faces before she tentatively put her lips on the object in front of her. "Good girl," Mack murmured as she lit the lighter.

Quinn took a quick breath. Her eyes watered and she tore her lips away with a cough. "Fuck!"

"Slowly, slowly." Mack rubbed the former blonde's back before bringing the bowl to her lips again. Quinn closed her eyes and took a gradual, deep breath. "Keep going… keep going… Okay. Now don't exhale until I say so," she said while tossing the lighter to Ronnie.

Quinn's eyes shot open as she stared at Mack. She opened her mouth to protest but the other girl put her hand over her lips.

"Nu uh." Mack shook her head from side to side with a cheeky grin on her face. She waited a beat. "Does it burn?" At Quinn's frantic nod, she removed her hand. "Okay, exhale."

Quinn rocked forward as she sputtered out a puff of smoke. Her eyes watered again as she wheezed and coughed. Mack slid off her lap and reached for the bottle of water in her backpack. Quinn took it with grateful, grabby hands and drank a long swig of it. She choked out another cough with a mouthful of water and spilled some on herself.

Ronnie laughed as she took another hit. "Aaah. I love first-timers."

Quinn glared at the Skank and went to retort but she heard her name being called. She looked out towards the football field and saw the Cheerios practicing. Her still watering eyes landed on two familiar ones near the fence. "I'll be right back." She took the sunglasses that were resting on her head and put them over her eyes.

"More for us!" Sheila laughed.

* * *

"Getting sick, Q?" Santana smirked as her former captain coughed while she approached them.

Quinn cleared her throat a few times before responding, "what do you want, S?"

Brittany glanced behind her to ensure Sue wasn't paying attention. The Coach was currently occupied by yelling at the JV Cheerios squad. The blonde turned back around and scrunched up her face at the smell wafting from underneath the bleachers.

"Quinn, look," Santana sighed, "this is our senior year and, frankly, being on the Cheerios isn't the same without you."

"You guys are such suckers for going back to Coach Sylvester." Quinn rasped out.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Come on; screw her. This is for us." When she got no response, she continued, "Did you hear? There's going to be a glee club meeting later today."

Quinn bit her lip. "I don't care."

"If the club's back on, we could win two national championships this year," Santana tried. "We joined Cheerios together, we joined glee club together, we all slept with Puckerman the same year…" She joked. "We're like besties for life!"

"Yeah, come on, Quinn!" Brittany coaxed. "You know, we used to be like the Three Musketeers! …But now Santana and I are, like, Almond Joy and you're, like, a jolly rancher that fell in the ashtray."

"Besties?" Quinn scoffed. "You guys never understood the pressure I was under." She glared at the two from underneath her sunglasses. "It sucked."

Santana narrowed her eyes. "Well if you didn't drop off the face of the earth this summer and actually talked to us, we could've tried to understa—"

"Drop off the face of the earth? You were so far up Brittany's ass this summer tha—"

"Hey!" Santana slammed her hand against the fence. "Watch your mouth."

"Stop the violence!" Brittany ordered.

The head cheerleader and the former head cheerleader silently seethed at each other.

"Look." Quinn took a deep breath. "I'm not interested in the boys, or the makeup, or the polyester outfits." She clicked her tongue at the end of the sentence.

"Look." Santana mimicked. "I got a bar of soap and a bottle of peroxide with your name on it in my locker."

Quinn fought back a laugh at her old friend's antics. She covered it up by running her hand through her pink hair.

Santana grinned when she saw the reluctant smile. "Come on, Quinn. You can't break up the Unholy Trinity."

Quinn studied her from behind her sunglasses. "People grow apart." She lowered them from her nose and looked into Santana's eyes. "Deal with it." She pushed them back up. "I've got new friends now, and they accept me for who I am." She sauntered away towards the group under the bleachers.

"Glee accepted you!" Brittany called out after her.

It would've looked like Quinn didn't hear her if it weren't for the slight falter in her steps.

Santana put her hand on Brittany's shoulder as they watched their former captain walk back into the shadows.

* * *

"Have you guys figured out who took over glee yet?" Mercedes asked when she walked by the table during lunch time.

Artie paused mid-bite and looked at his former teammate. He only saw her a few times this past summer and was honestly surprised she approached him today. He set his fork down before he replied. "I had Ms. Holiday for Spanish 3 earlier and she said it's not her."

"And apparently it's not Mr. Schuester." Tina supplied.

"Tina. Artie." Kurt curtly greeted as he saddled up next to Mercedes. "What are we talking about?"

"The mystery of who took over glee," Artie answered. "So far, we've deducted that Schue isn't back, and that it's not Ms. Holiday…"

Kurt hummed. "Speaking of Holly Holiday…" he nodded in the direction of the teacher's lunch line. The teacher was holding a tray and speaking to a short brunette with an obnoxiously pink lunchbox. "Who's the Barbara Streisand lookalike she's talking to?"

"Oh! I know her!" Tina said. Everyone looked at her expectantly and she sputtered. "Well, I mean I don't _know_ her, but…"

"Oh, she's the chick who was with you earlier when I got slushied!"

"You got slushied already?" Kurt grimaced. "But that doesn't explain who she is."

"Well, obviously, she's a new student." Mercedes chuckled.

"And she's making friends with a teacher?" Kurt made a sound of disapproval. "I have to stop this madness before she makes a fool of herself. I'll be right back. 'Cedes, be a dear and go save me a seat at our table."

The group watched him walk off towards the two. Mercedes turned towards Tina and Artie with a shrug. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys in glee later."

"Um, bye." Tina said to her retreating back.

* * *

"And he was covered in slushy!"

Holly shook her head at the story. "I know, Rachel. I tried to think of a way to ban slushies in this school when I was a substitute last year, but Figgins was too worried about the amount of money we'd lose from getting rid of the machine. 'The Big Gulp machine brings in—'"

"'—a lot of money to the budget!' I know; he told me the same thing this morning when I stormed into his office instead of discussing the former glee club with Ms. Pillsbury!" Rachel sighed.

"I'm surprised the cheapskate even hired you as the new glee club director."

Rachel bit her lip. "He actually only did it because he's short on staff and I agreed to look after detention and be the go-to substitute teacher." She shrugged. "Apparently, a Masters of Fine Arts degree is a good enough document to get me a teaching job, even if I wasn't looking to be an educator." She gave a thoughtful look. "Although, if I _had_ to be a teacher, I'd at least want to be a music teacher."

Holly gave a bitter laugh. "Not here. Will told me Figgins cut the music classes years ago because…"

"Because of the budget." Rachel begrudgingly finished. "I'm surprised there are even any art programs here at all! It's like he doesn't even care!"

Holly put a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, I know."

Rachel gave her a small smile. "I'm glad there's at least one authority figure in this school that seems to give a rat's ass about _something_."

"Well, now there are two!" Holly winked as she opened the door to the cafeteria. She led the young woman to the teacher's line and grabbed a tray. Rachel studied the food available with a grimace. "What? Don't like mystery meat?" She quipped.

Rachel furrowed her brows at the selection of food. "I'm a vegan. Besides," she held up a pink and bedazzled lunchbox, "I'm all set!"

Holly quirked an eyebrow. "Huh. How did I not notice that before…?"

"Excuse me," a voice sounded behind them, "I don't care how awesome Holly is; one does _not_ make friends with a teacher on their first day of school!"

Holly turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Ah, Kurt Hummel. I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment!"

"Oh, Holly, I'd never insult you! I'm just saying that a new student should make friends with other students." He thrust his hand out towards the brunette. "Let me formally introduce myself; I'm Kurt Hummel."

Rachel looked from side to side in confusion before she caught Holly's amused expression. Her eyes widened in realization. "You think I'm a—"

"And may I add that the outfit you're wearing is absolutely amazing?" He gushed. "It looks like something straight out of an Isabelle Wright collection!"

Rachel smirked. That's because it was. Shelby was old friends with the famous fashion designer.

"I mean, really! Those heels? They are _werking_ your legs!"

Holly interrupted with a laugh. She grabbed the shorter woman's arm and had her shake hands with the student. "This is Rachel, Kurt. You'll be seeing a lot of her this year." She mouthed _glee_ to Rachel.

Rachel caught the silent word from her coworker and smirked. "Yes, we'll definitely be seeing a _lot_ of each other, Kurt." She gave him a firm handshake.

"Wonderful! Why don't we start off by having you sit with us at lunch?"

Rachel shook her head with a laugh. "Oh, it's okay; Ms. Holiday here was just showing me the ropes. But don't worry, I'll definitely be talking to you later."

Kurt tsked. "Shame. But if you insist!" He turned on his heel and called over his shoulder, "Adieu, ladies!"

The two teachers watched him hurry back to a friend at a table who waited eagerly in her seat.

Holly turned back around to put some food on her tray. "Something tells me this year is going to be interesting for you, Rach."

* * *

"Dude. Babe alert." Puck hit Finn's shoulder to get his attention. He pointed towards the lunch line.

"Dude, that's my step-brother." Finn half laughed, half grimaced.

Puck punched him in the shoulder. "No, you idiot! The hot Jewish chick he's talking to that's standing next to Hottie Holiday!"

The quarterback rubbed his shoulder and glared at his teammate. He moved his gaze across the cafeteria and his eyes widened. "Wow."

"I know, right? Hey, wait. No. Stop looking at her that way!" Puck hit him in the shoulder again. "I call dibs!"

Azimio whistled. "Look at them legs!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Will you stop fucking hitting me? And why do you get dibs?" Finn whined.

"Because I saw her first! And because I'm the Puckasaurus and you have _no_ game."

"If I have no game, then why am I the quarterback?"

"Because Sam moved away." Mike grumbled into his food.

"What the fuck ever." Finn glared at Mike before turning back to Puck. "I don't see why I can't bang the new girl!"

Mike threw his fork down onto his tray and stood up. "You're all so disrespectful towards women."

"Oh, come on, Chang, we're football players—" Azimio tried. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To sit with my girlfriend!" He picked his tray up. "Isn't it hilarious how you treat women like meat and not one of you have ever had a stable relationship, where as I respect them and I've had a girlfriend for almost a year and a half?" He walked off to where Tina was sitting by Artie and wrapped an arm around her.

"Chang's right." Shane stated. "Peace out. I'll see you hooligans at practice." He grabbed his trays and walked to Mercedes' table. He thrust out a muscular hand towards Kurt who hesitantly shook it.

It was silent at the table before Finn made a whipping motion and sound which sparked the other guys to laugh obnoxiously.

Puck gave a half-hearted chuckle before a flash of pink caught his attention. "Hey, uh, I'll be right back."

"Now where are you going?"

"What are you, _my_ girlfriend? I said I'll be right back so calm your balls."

Finn's face turned red at the laughter surrounding the table as Puck made his way out the cafeteria doors and into the hallway.

* * *

"Hey, Q! Wait up!" Puck yelled while he jogged up to her. She ignored him and opened the doors to the emergency exit. "Quinn!" He followed her through the doors and out into the fresh air. He grabbed onto her arm and she whirled around.

"Don't touch me!"

He held his hands up in surrender. His eyes widened when he caught a whiff of something in the air. "Damn," he drawled. "I see you've been getting friendly with Cheech and Chong under the bleachers."

She shook her head. "What do you want, Puck?"

"Well, shit." He ran a hand through his Mohawk. "To be honest? If Beiste didn't make us do monthly drug tests, I'd want whatever the fuck you're on."

Quinn gave a weak chuckle.

"No, but seriously…" He studied her. "I haven't seen you all summer. How've ya been?"

"Fine."

"Really? Then what's with the Joan Jett appearance?"

"This is who I am now. I'll tell you the same thing I told S; deal with it." She put her hands on her hips.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I wasn't bagging on ya." He leered at her. "I kinda like the new look."

She rolled her eyes good naturedly and laughed. "Fuck you."

"Been there, done that. Can't wait to do it again." He stopped laughing when she stiffened in posture. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, I didn't mean to—"

"Are we done here? Because I've got better things to do." She started to walk off.

Puck huffed and followed after her. "Actually, no. We're not done here." He kept pace with her. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. She turned two this summer—"

"I told you that I have things to do."

"—and you can't just keep ignoring it like we did junior year! We have to talk about this eventually!"

Quinn whipped around and shoved a finger to his chest. "No, we don't." She glared daggers at him. "It's better for all of us if we forget. It's better for _her_."

Puck stared right back into bloodshot eyes. He gently grabbed her hand at his chest. "I can't forget, Quinn."

Quinn's gaze softened. He tightened his grip on her hand and that seemed to shake her out of her thoughts. She ripped her hand away and put her sunglasses on. "Well, you better learn. I already have."

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions in check. "How can you act like you don't feel—"

"Haven't you heard?" She adjusted her messenger bag. "I'm a Fabray; it's what we're best at," she said as she walked away. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Puck shook his head as he stared after her. Her messenger bag bunched up her shirt at her shoulder and something caught his attention. "Was that a tattoo?"

* * *

Rachel left the teacher's lounge a nervous wreck. It was now 3:14 and she had sixteen minutes to properly prepare herself before she made her debut as Ms. Berry.

She walked towards the choir room only to stop abruptly as she heard voices from inside. She peeked through the windows in the hallway only to see a bunch of students already in there. She furrowed her brow; she assumed students nowadays lacked punctuality!

A boy with a mohawk caught her gaze through the window. He sent her a smirk and a wink. Rachel raised an eyebrow before backtracking. She passed a bathroom and hurried in there.

She walked to a sink and stared into the mirror. "Okay, Rachel. You can do this. You've spent your whole life acting; just think of this as another acting job." She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"You know, they say talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

Rachel's eyes opened in shock. She spun around only to come face to face with a cigarette hanging out of bright, pink lips. She slowly traveled her eyes upwards to high cheek bones surrounded by bubblegum colored hair, a narrow nose made imperfect by a piercing (or maybe more perfect? She wasn't in the right state of mind to decide at the moment), and finally connected to bloodshot hazel orbs.

Quinn smirked. "Though, you could already be insane." She pulled a lighter from her back pocket. "I may just be a figment of your imagination."

That snapped Rachel out of her daze. She narrowed her eyes when the girl went to light up. "Whether I'm insane or not is not the matter here." Rachel felt her cheeks heat up when she realized she just questioned her own sanity. She shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Your health is not a figment of imagination, and what matters here is how you're not only endangering yours—and mine!—but you're also violating a plethora of rules by smoking in the bathroom…" Rachel grabbed the cigarette out of the stunned girl's mouth. "Which, really? Smoking in the bathroom? How more cliché can you get?"

Quinn stared in awe at the nerve of her. Her eyes landed on the smug grin this person was sporting, and she glared. "And what are you? The bathroom patrol?" She smirked. "Well, more like the bathroom troll. How short are you? Five foot?"

Rachel huffed at the audacity of this girl. "I'm 5'2" _tall_, thank you very much!" She straightened her posture and gave her a firm look. "I'm also the one that will be giving you detention!"

Quinn bust out in laughter as she sidestepped her and walked to one of the mirrors. "Oh, what, are you going to tattle to a teacher?" She got out her makeup and fixed her eyeliner.

"No…" Rachel trailed off. She waited until she locked eyes with this obnoxious and arrogant student. "I _am_ the teacher."

"Fuck!" Quinn yelled when she slipped and accidentally drew down her cheek. She grabbed a paper towel before turning around to stare incredulously at Rachel. She furiously wiped at her skin as she addressed her, "you're not serious."

Rachel crossed her arms and gave a self-satisfied smile. "Hello. I'm Ms. Berry and I'll see you bright and early for detention tomorrow."

"But detention is after school!"

Rachel smoothed out her dress and turned in the mirror to check her own makeup. She pulled out gloss from her purse and re-applied a generous amount to her lips. "Nope," she popped her lips at the end of the word. She glanced in the mirror and caught the stunned hazel eyes. "Not anymore." She put away her lip gloss and sauntered to the door. "Things are starting to change around here. I'll see you at 7:15 in the morning."

Quinn gaped as the door slammed shut.

* * *

Rachel walked with a new-found confidence to the choir room. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and snapped her fingers. "Oh, shoot! I forgot to get her name!"

"Um, whose name?"

The brunette jumped at the voice.

Finn stared in confusion at the new girl. She may have been hot, but she seemed to be a little weird.

Rachel coughed. "Oh, nothing, nothing! Um, can I help you?"

"Huh? Oh, no, you're just in the way."

"Excuse me?" Rachel's eyebrows rose in shock. Surely not all students were delinquents like the slushy throwers or the girl in the bathroom…?

Finn laughed. "I need to get in the choir room."

Rachel's cheeks turned red. "Oh, yes. Of course!" She let him through and then followed him in.

Santana groaned when she caught sight of the two. "Awe, it's just Frankenteen and… I don't know who you are."

Kurt clapped his hands in excitement. "Oh, Rachel! Everyone!" He stood up and walked towards the brunette. "This is Rachel!" He turned to her and spoke conspiringly, "you're just in time! Any minute now, our new glee teacher is going to walk through those doors and… and… why are you laughing?"

Rachel giggled and left Kurt's side. Her heels clicked as she walked up to the whiteboard. She picked up a dry erase marker and plucked off the cap before writing something on the board. She grinned at the confused looks on the students' faces and stepped to the side to let them see what she wrote.

_Ms. Berry_

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Ms. Berry and I'm your new glee club director."

It was silent for a few seconds before everyone started talking at once.

"You're going to be teaching us? But you're so young!" Tina stated in shock.

"This just ups the hotness factor, to be honest." Puck high-fived a dazed Finn.

Kurt slowly walked back to his seat next to Mercedes with a horrified look on his face.

"You okay?" Mercedes asked.

He turned to his friend. "I… I think I accidentally hit on our new glee teacher earlier."

"Okay, okay, quiet down!" Rachel laughed. "I'll answer any—" Her brown eyes met Puck's suggestive gaze and she quickly backtracked. "I'll answer… _almost_ any questions you may have later. But first…" she grabbed the swivel chair from the desk and rolled herself in front of the class. She crossed her legs and folded her hands atop her knee. "Are all the members here? It can't be; it seems we're short a few of the number needed to compete."

Puck was quick to reply to the hot teacher, "We did have a few others—"

"Yeah. _Did._ Because you couldn't convince Zizes to stay." Santana said pointedly. She pulled a nail file from seemingly out of nowhere and started on her nails. "We also lost Trouty." She gave a slight frown.

"Trouty?" Rachel asked.

Santana snickered. "It was a nickname of sorts."

"Where's Quinn?" Tina suddenly inquired.

Santana abruptly stopped laughing and Brittany sighed.

"M.I.A." Artie supplied. "No one's heard from her. It's sad; I miss her."

Puck averted his gaze to the ground. Rachel furrowed her brows at the sudden change in his attitude.

Kurt laughed. "Oh, no one's heard from her, but trust me, we've seen her!" Most of the students turned towards him with expectant looks on their faces. "She's a Skank."

"Kurt!" Rachel reprimanded. She thought he was one of the good students—

"No, really." He placated. "Quinn Fabray. She's in a group called the Skanks." He turned back to the rest of the classroom. "She pierced her nose and dyed her hair pink!"

Chocolate eyes widened.

"Wait, _that_ was Quinn?" Finn asked in disbelief.

"No way!"

"Her hair is really pink?"

"Has anyone spoken to her?"

Rachel ignored the chatter around her as something pink caught her attention from the windows in the hallway. She swiveled the chair just enough to turn around and stare into familiar hazel.

"Okay, everyone, shut up!" Santana yelled. "Why don't you all mind your fucking business?" At the sudden silence, she smirked. "That's what I thought. Back to you, Ms. Berry. …Ms. Berry?"

Rachel quickly swiveled around towards the front of the classroom. "Um, yes. Santana is right. What other people do is not our business, and I believe we should get back on track…" She stood up and walked to the desk to pull out a folder. She glanced out the window once more, only to find the halls empty.

She opened her folder and went about the rest of the hour asking the club questions and answering any they had about her. But one thought stayed in her mind the whole time.

_Quinn Fabray._

She bit her lip to keep from smirking. At least she now knew the name of the delinquent she gave her first ever detention to. She just knew that was going to make a great chapter in her memoir.

* * *

**A/N:** There was a recent Glee ep where Artie was never in his car accident so he was never in his wheelchair, and it changed the course of some of the characters. That episode held a little bit of the inspiration for this story; Rachel was never at McKinley so this means that the impact she would've had on everyone's lives never happened. ...aka... this is why certain characters are acting douchier than normal.

I hope this chapter will garner a positive response. Please review and tell me what you thought!


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee.

**A/N: **Thank you, thank you, thank you for the feedback!

I don't want to offend anyone by accident by not putting a warning…so, here it is. Some readers may get uncomfortable with the behavior of the Skanks. Minor drug use, reckless behavior, etc.

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

Rachel's heels echoed as she walked down the empty halls of McKinley early the next morning. She hummed a tune and swung her keychain around her index finger. She stopped in front of a classroom and unlocked the door. She set her purse and keys on the teacher's desk after she entered and went up to the chalkboard to write on it.

_Ms. Berry._

_Morning Detention._

_7:15 am – 7:55 am._

Rachel stood back and studied what she had written. With a nod, she set the chalk down and dusted her hands off. She pulled out the chair behind the desk and sat down. She turned towards the clock on the wall and noted the time. "7:01. You have fourteen minutes, Quinn Fabray," she said to the empty classroom. She folded her hands on top of the desk and waited.

* * *

Quinn rolled over in her bed and shut the obnoxious alarm off.

"Hey, babe, what time is it?" A body groaned next to her.

She poked her pink head out from underneath the covers and blearily looked at the time. "7:30," she grunted before stretching her body. She groaned at the light ache in her left shoulder and carefully got out of bed.

"Why so early?" He whined.

"School."

"So?"

Quinn rolled her eyes as she bent down to pick up the discarded clothes and throw them in the laundry basket. She jumped and squeaked when she felt a slap to her ass. "Chris!" She turned around with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face.

He leaned back against the headboard with a smirk. "Ya know, you're not as scary when your tits are on display."

"You're such a pig." Quinn grimaced. She picked up a random shirt and tugged it on.

Chris gave a cheeky smile in return. He looked at the shirt she had on and gave a full blown grin. "You look sexy in my clothes."

Quinn glanced down in confusion to see what she put on. "'_Hell is so hot right now._' Is this shirt for real?"

He leapt out of bed and flexed his muscles. "Well, I mean, have you _seen_ me?"

"Yeah. A twenty-seven year old who has a stupid beard and only graduated high school a couple years ago, works part-time at Breadstix, and spends all his free time skateboarding or sleeping with his cousin's friends." Quinn walked over to her dresser and picked up a pair of fishnet stockings and a sinfully short black skirt. "Kate's a very lucky woman." She grabbed her bra, and, after a thought of consideration, went over to her desk and opened up a drawer.

"Of course she is," Chris agreed as he bent over the bed to get his jeans. He rummaged through them before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Light?"

"Get your own." She then made a noise of victory as pulled out a pair of scissors from the drawer. "Speaking of the girlfriend, you should probably text her," she said as she walked into the bathroom connected to her bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, and hey! It only took me so long to graduate because Goolsby kept flunking me so I could stay in Vocal Adrenaline!"

"Uh huh." Quinn called from the other side of the door.

"I was the only member who could nail the triple-flip!"

"I can do a triple-flip in my sleep," was the response.

"Well, whatever. It's Carmel's fault. And the beard's not stupid! We weren't allowed facial hair in Vocal Adrenaline—Goolsby said it distracted from the performances—so as soon as I got outta there, I let this bad boy grow!" He stroked it fondly.

"It's stupid."

He sighed and looked around the room. He spotted a lighter on her desk. "Ah ha!" He jumped off the bed and stuck a cigarette in his mouth before making his way over.

"Oh, hey, does Mack need a ride to school?"

He lit his cigarette and took a long drag. "I don't know, probably. Why don't you text her?" He asked distractedly as a couple of picture frames on the desk drew his attention. "Well, who do we have here?" He mumbled to himself and leered at a picture of three cheerleaders. His eyes widened. "Wait, is that…" He whistled. "Well, I'll be damned. Quinnie was a cheerleader. And blonde. Hot." He set it down and looked at the next frame. A group with Mr. Schuester holding a third place Regionals trophy. He knew it was third place because the first place trophy was sitting proudly in his old school. He smirked and picked up the frame to get a better look. Something falling from behind it caught his eye. He picked it up and raised a brow.

"She said ye—what are you doing?" He jumped at the accusatory voice.

"You were hot as a cheerleader." Chris nodded towards the picture while the cigarette hung out of his mouth. He then held up the item in his hand. "Who's the kid?"

Quinn's eyes widened. "Don't touch that!" She ran over to him and snatched the photograph. She carefully studied it to ensure no damage was done.

"Wait, what? What's the big deal? Is that you as a baby?"

Quinn ignored him as she grabbed the frame out of his hands and placed the picture securely on the back of it. She set the frame back on the desk and turned to glare at him. "The big deal is that you were touching my shit."

"Well, if you would've just given me your lighter instead of making me look for one—hey! What'd you do to my shirt?" He asked in disbelief.

"Do you like it?" Quinn smirked, glad to change the subject.

"You fucking cut the sleeves off!"

"Yep. Now hell's even hotter." She went over to her desk and pulled her makeup out.

"Tch." Chris watched her apply a thick amount of eyeliner before drifting his gaze to a tube. "Oh, hey, don't forget to apply that ointment to the new ink so it'll heal properly."

"I know." Quinn drawled.

"You don't want it to get infected."

"Yes, mother." She met his eyes in the mirror and gave a small smile. He may have been full of himself and had a stupid beard that made him look at least ten years older, but he had his moments.

"And then go make me a sandwich."

She scoffed. Moment ruined.

* * *

Rachel looked at the clock with a huff.

7:50.

She uncrossed her arms and started piling away her sheet music into a folder.

"I can't believe that… that delinquent had the audacity to skip detention!" She muttered to herself as she got up from the desk and shoved her items in her bag. She turned around and furiously erased the writing from the board. Once done, she slammed the eraser down and coughed at the cloud of smoke that erupted from it. She gathered her things and stormed out of the room.

And right into another person.

"Watch it!"

Rachel looked up from her spot on the ground and frowned at a woman in a red tracksuit. "Excuse me, but I didn't see—"

"Of course not! How can you when you're no taller than a garden gnome?"

The brunette stood up, her things forgotten at her feet. "Garden gnome? How dare you—"

Sue narrowed her eyes at the tiny woman who bumped into her. "What's your name?"

Rachel sputtered, momentarily confused at the abrupt topic change. She huffed and crossed her arms. "Rachel Berry. I'm the new glee club director."

"_Glee_ club?" The cheerleading coach grumbled. "I thought they disbanded when Schuester ran off with the drunk to sing about streets."

"You mean April Rhodes and her original musical, _Crossrhodes: The April Rhodes Story_?"

"Whatever." Sue also crossed her arms and leveled this woman with a glare. "That doesn't explain why you're here in my school, bumping into me, and feeding me lies about that group of mouth breathers being back together again."

"It's not a lie." Rachel frowned and put her hands on her hips. "William Schuester personally requested I take over the glee club and—"

"It all makes sense." Sue seethed. "Schue's not even in this damn school but he's making sure to ruin my Cheerios."

"Cheerios? I don't even—"

Sue thrust a finger in Rachel's face. "Don't think I'm going to let you get away with this. He wanted you to take over? Well, I'll be sure his little successor reaps all the same benefits!" She leveled her with one more glare. "You just made a powerful enemy in Sue Sylvester." Her eyes zeroed in on someone behind Rachel. "S! My office! Now!"

Rachel gaped as the taller woman marched off in the other direction. Santana passed her by with an apologetic shrug.

"Rach—I mean, Ms. Berry!" Kurt called as he and another boy ran up to her. "Are you okay?"

"What… What just happened?" She turned towards them. "Who the hell is Sue Sylvester?"

The boy next to Kurt frowned. "Isn't she the evil cheerleading coach you were telling me about?"

Kurt nodded. "She's had this crazy vendetta against the glee club for the past few years ever since some of her Cheerios joined." He turned towards the teacher. "I think she thought we were stealing her members, but they can do both." He shrugged. "I think she knows they can split their time between both activities, but just liked torturing Mr. Schue."

"So since Mr. Schuester suggested I take over the glee club, this somehow puts me directly into their silly little feud?" She frowned at her student's nod. She sighed before noticing her bag on the floor from earlier.

"Oh, I got it!"'

"Thank you." She received her items with a confused look on her face. "Um, I don't believe I got your name."

Kurt grabbed the boy's hand. "This is my boyfriend, Blaine. He just transferred schools, and he's going to be in glee club with us!"

Rachel gave a low chuckle at his excitement and shook Blaine's free hand. "I look forward to hearing you audition." She released his hold. "I don't know how much Kurt's told you, but glee club is a little different than how Mr. Schuester ran it. We now meet four times a week, and—"

"Oh, don't worry! He filled me in on everything!" Blaine gave her a beaming smile.

Rachel was caught off guard at his grin, but slowly returned it. "I'm so glad you're excited about this, Blaine. Your enthusiasm will definitely be welcomed in New Directions! We're getting a brand new purple piano shipped to the school today thanks to the generous donation of a Mr. Al Motta. Your audition song will be the first one to grace this gorgeous instrument!"

The warning bell rang.

"Well, I still have to show him where his first class is. We'll see you later, Ms. Berry." Kurt waved goodbye to the teacher.

"See ya!" Blaine called behind his shoulder.

Rachel gave a soft smile. The young couple made her forget just why she was so frazzled in the first place. She turned to go to the choir room before a ruckus caught her attention.

"You're making the right choice, S. Don't let me down!" Sue yelled from her office to the retreating Cheerio. Sue's gaze met Rachel's from across the hall. She brought her index and middle fingers to her eyes before pointing them at Rachel with a glare.

Rachel's own eyes momentarily widened before she straightened her posture and met the woman's gaze head on.

Sue lifted an impressed eyebrow.

Rachel cocked a hand on her hip.

The cheerleading coach grimaced before turning back in her office and slamming the door shut.

Rachel kept her determined posture as she walked briskly to the choir room. It seemed Sue Sylvester was just another thing at this school that would have to change.

* * *

"Fucking awesome!"

Quinn ripped the bandana from her face and stood back from her handiwork. She turned towards the group with a proud smirk on her face. "Right?"

Mack, Ronnie, and Sheila surrounded the pink haired girl underneath the bleachers.

Sheila whistled. "Damn, white girl." She bumped shoulders with her to show her appreciation.

Ronnie nodded excitedly. "Now everyone will know not to cross our turf!"

Mack surveyed the fancy lettering of the freshly graffitied _SKANKS_ painted on the wall next to their spot under the bleachers. "It only needs one thing!"

Quinn quirked an eyebrow in confusion as the girl grabbed the spray paint out of her hands and went to work.

"There!" Mack exclaimed after spraying on a sloppy skull and cross bones.

Sheila chuckled. "What are we, pirates?"

Mack brought the spray paint to her nose with a laugh. "Aaarrgh. We pilferage ye booty!"

"I'm surprised you used that word correctly—_what_ are you doing?" Quinn's eyes widened in disbelief as her friend inhaled deeply from the nozzle of the can.

Mack coughed out a laugh before she replied, "My cousin showed me this. Watch." She went to take another huff but Quinn grabbed it out of her hands.

"Are you insane?"

"Hey, Q!"

The group looked towards the field to see Santana waving her former captain over.

Quinn looked from Santana to Mack, from Mack to the can in her hands, and back to Santana. "I…"

"Hey, Mack," Ronnie tossed a little orange bottle to her friend, "forget the spray cans. Take a couple of those bad boys."

Mack's eyes lit up in curiosity. She twirled the bottle in her hands. "What is it?"

Quinn quickly grabbed the rest of the cans from the ground and threw them in the plastic bag she brought and then into her messenger bag as the girls were distracted.

"I jacked 'em from my step-mom. They're supposed to help her with her anxiety or some shit. I took some for the hell of it a few days ago and I swear I was floating in space."

Quinn grimaced. "I gotta go."

"Really, _Q_?" Mack mocked as she regarded the retreating figure. She emptied a few of the pills into her hands and swallowed them.

Quinn stopped and gripped her bag tighter. "Yes, really." She put on her best HBIC face and turned around. "And I suggest you three get going as well before Sylvester smells the paint fumes."

"Lord knows that woman has a nose like a bloodhound." The group jumped in shock at the voice. They turned around to find Ms. Holiday walking towards them. She addressed the girls, "You three, get to class." Her eyes landed on the recliner a few feet away. She raised a brow. "Or else I tell Figgins about his missing chair."

Mack scoffed. "We'll see you at lunch, Quinn."

Holly watched the girls go before flopping down on the recliner. Her eyes landed on the graffiti on the wall. "So… the Skanks, huh?"

Quinn fiddled with her messenger back. "Santana's waiting for me."

"She wouldn't need to be waiting for you if you were still a Cheerio."

"Jesus!" The pink haired girl threw her hands in the air. "Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say I'm done with that?"

Holly raised her eyebrows. "I just don't see how you can give up something that you loved."

Quinn stiffened. She brought a hand to her left shoulder and weakly rubbed it. "You don't understand."

"Oh, no, I do." Holly leaned forward on the recliner. "Listen, Quinn, I know what you're going through. I went through a punk phase when I—"

"Phase?" Quinn snorted.

"Okay, okay. Not a phase." Holly placated. She stood up and slowly approached the annoyed girl.

"No," Quinn ran her hands through her hair in frustration, "it's not. And I would appreciate it if everyone would stop saying it is. Or just... just stop talking to me in general." She pulled at her hair.

Holly cautiously put her hand on the student's shoulder. "Quinn—"

"Just leave me alone!" She jerked away from the teacher and walked out from under the bleachers.

"Huffing paint fumes now?" Santana quipped as she tried to catch up with her former captain.

"Not in the mood, Lopez!"

Santana raised a brow in disbelief. "Oh, hell no, Fabray…" She trailed off when the former blonde kept walking. She jogged after her. "Okay, okay. I see I'm dealing with Angry Quinn."

Quinn grunted and continued to walk.

"This is actually too perfect. Listen, I think I have a way for you to let off some of that steam…"

Quinn didn't stop, but she did slow down her pace.

Santana smirked.

* * *

"What do you mean piano inspection? I've never heard of such a silly thing before!" Rachel scrunched her lips in disbelief.

Sue looked on in satisfaction as she addressed the glee club. "New rule. Anything by donation is not allowed in the school until it has been thoroughly inspected. Who knows what could be hidden in the keys of that atrocious piano?"

"It's just a piano!" Rachel looked at the principal. "This is ridiculous!"

Principal Figgins held his hands up in surrender. "She has a point, Ms. Berry. With advanced technology, we must take precaution to all things towards the school for the safety of the students."

"It's a _piano!_"

"And you'll get your piano… after it's been inspected. As of right now, though, it's currently outside in the quad. Now if you'll excuse me…" He quickly left the choir room.

Rachel rounded on the cheerleading coach. "I don't understand why you're doing this."

Sue glared. "It's simple. I hated William. You're William's replacement. Ergo, I now hate you."

Rachel stared in shock as the coach nodded to Santana before storming out of the room. She knew she should probably look into that exchange, but she couldn't bring herself to at the moment. She rubbed her temples as she thought of a solution.

"So…" Finn trailed off. "Does this mean glee club's cancelled for today?"

"No." Rachel sighed as she turned around. "We still have to formerly audition Blaine into the group."

"We can always use the piano in here, Ms. Berry. It's really no big deal."

Rachel studied the worn out piano before looking back at her student. Her eyes hardened in determination. "No. They said the piano isn't allowed _in_ the school yet, but…" She trailed off when she saw a flash of pink outside the window. "We're having the meeting outside today."

Puck perked up. "Right on!"

"Outside? Like, in front of the student body?" Artie asked warily.

Rachel, not seeing the problem, nodded. "Yep! He said the piano is in the quad, so we'll just have to go to the quad!" She packed up her things and marched to the door. She paused when she saw the hesitant looks on most of the student's faces. "What are you waiting for? It'll be fun!"

Santana stood up. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

Rachel smiled. So far, Santana was proving to be a supportive team member. She followed Santana out the door, and thus missed the confused looks the rest of the students exchanged at the cheerleader's positive response.

Brittany bit her lip as she gathered her things and followed the rest of the class outside.

* * *

"What the hell are we doing out here with the normies?" Sheila grimaced.

"You'll see." Quinn took a drag of her cigarette. She released the smoke and continued, "Besides, you guys need sunlight after being cooped up under the bleachers all day."

"You're one to talk about needing sunlight." Mack lazily replied. She slowly turned to Ronnie, "and will you stop… stop doing that thing with the straw? That thing that you're doing. Will you stop slurping? Where'd you… where'd you even get that?"

Ronnie took a loud sip of her drink. "Nope. And snagged it from the teacher's lounge."

Quinn flicked ash from her cigarette. She pulled out her phone and checked the time.

"Oh, hey, gimme some ice cubes. I got a couple of salt packs from the cafeteria."

"Why the fuck do you have salt packs?" Ronnie inquired to Sheila as she opened the lid to her drink and grabbed some ice cubes.

"Don't look at me like that. You never know when you're gonna need some salt."

"Yeah. Like, what if she won some free fries but they weren't salted?" Mack replied. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, God, I could go for some fries right now. Sheila, gimme some of your fries."

"Girl, I ain't got fries." Sheila turned to Ronnie with a smirk. "She is so gone right now." She poured a little bit of salt on her finger and stuck a tiny ice cube to it. "Look; magic!"

Mack watched the ice stick to her friend's finger with drooped eyelids.

Ronnie snorted. "Quinn, are you seeing this?"

"Sure." She replied as she checked her phone again.

Mack rolled her eyes towards the pink haired girl before a devious glint appeared in them. She snatched an ice cube and salt packet out of her friends' hands and turned to Quinn. "Hey, Quinnie, give… give me your arm."

Quinn made a noncommittal noise of acknowledgement and stuck her cigarette between her teeth. She distractedly raised her left arm as she texted with her other hand. Her brow furrowed when she felt something being poured on her skin. She lifted her head up. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just watch. It's, like, magic." Mack drawled.

Quinn raised a brow and bit her lip as she regarded the situation. Mack poured the rest of the salt on her forearm, careful not to spill any, before slapping an ice cube onto the substance on her skin. "Oh my fucking _God!_" Quinn's eyes widened as a burning pain shot through her arm. She jumped up from her position and Mack went with her. Her cigarette fell from her mouth and bounced off her thigh. She groaned at the dual stinging sensations.

The brunette skank held a firm grip as Quinn jerked her arm around. "Awe, come on, Quinnie; it's just a little ice for the Ice Queen." She bust out in laughter.

"Get it the fuck _off!_"

Sheila laughed at Quinn's flailing. "Hey, Mack, I think that's enough." Her laughter died down as the skin around the ice slowly turned red. "Mackenzie! Joke's over!"

Quinn gasped when Mack finally pulled the ice off. She sucked in a breath and swore her skin tore as the frozen cube was removed. She fell to her knees and gripped her arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She choked out her words as she winced at the freezing burning sensation.

Mack tossed the ice behind her with a giggle. "Calm down, Quinn; it was just a joke." She slumped onto the steps as she continued to laugh.

Quinn lifted her fingers to survey the damage. A deep and angry red spot surrounded a slightly raised bump, and—she grimaced—some of her skin was torn off. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She turned to the Skank with a steely glare. "It wasn't fucking funny."

Mack yawned.

"You're an asshole for giving her those pills." Quinn muttered to Ronnie. She winced as she slowly rubbed the freezing injury to create some warmth. The numbness forming on her arm concerned her. She reached into her messenger bag with her right arm and pulled out the bandana from earlier. She carefully attempted to wrap it around the burn with one hand.

"Hey, it's better than fumes." Ronnie replied.

"Hardly." Quinn scoffed in annoyance. She grunted when the bandana kept falling off her arm as she attempted to tie it.

Ronnie's eyes narrowed. "Oh, get the stick outta your ass, princess. You're acting like we do lines of cocaine underneath the bleachers. I hate when people like you—"

"People like me?" Quinn asked in disbelief as she once again tried to tie the bandana. Once she finally got it, she reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a cigarette from her pack.

"Yeah. People who learn from Sunday school to _'just say no'_ when it comes to something they don't like or understand. I knew you were the same girl as last year—"

"You think you got me pegged?" Quinn growled out as she angrily lit her cigarette. She took a long drag and regarded the group of girls. Mack stared up at the clouds with a glazed look in her eyes while Sheila watched the argument with an amused face. "You don't know the first thing about me."

"I sure as fuck know we've been here for you since this summer. You came to us with this fake ass _'I don't _care' attitude, and look, we accepted it. All we asked for was the same acceptance."

"_Fake?"_ Quinn went to cross her arms before she remembered the bandana. She settled them on her hips.

The sudden sound of the jazz band startled the group and the rest of the students in the quad.

Quinn glanced down the stairs. She brought her attention back to the Skanks and smirked. "Oh, honey, I'm about to show you how much of a _fuck_ I really don't give."

* * *

Rachel smiled brightly as the glee club sat on a picnic table and watched Blaine's performance.

"_It's not unusual to be loved by anyone."_

She looked on in amusement as the exuberant boy slid down the railing before skipping up and down the steps.

"_It's not unusual to have fun with anyone. But when I see you hanging about with anyone,"_ Blaine took off his shades and threw them to Kurt with a wink. He jogged across the stairs with a shimmy. _"It's not unusual to see me cry!"_

Rachel nodded approvingly as the performance went on. She jotted down a few notes in her folder before she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

"_Oh, I wanna die!"_

She tilted her head when Santana motioned a group of cheerleaders into the performance.

"_It's not unusual to go out at any time."_ Blaine looked on in confusion as the Cheerios started dancing with him. _"But when I see you out and about, it's such a crime…"_ He faltered when Santana got up and joined him. He quickly adapted and got back into the song, _"if you should ever want to be loved by anyone."_ He twirled her and ran with her around the stairs.

Rachel beamed when she saw the duo dance together. She scribbled down a reminder to ask Santana if she wanted to be captain of the club seeing as, she glanced at Finn, the current one watched the performance with a grimace. She shook her head in disappointment and turned back just in time to see Santana nod to a pink haired girl.

"_It's not unusual! It happens every day, no matter what you say."_

The teacher's eyes widened.

"_You find it happens all the time!"_ Blaine grinned at Santana as she set her hand on his shoulder and danced next to him. The cheerleaders formed a formation around him and posed as he held the note. They quickly got up and continued the routine. _"Love will never do what you want it to."_

Quinn watched Kurt's boyfriend's performance with disinterest. She watched as the Cheerios circled him a few times before trotting down towards the purple piano. They danced around Brad and led the confused piano man away from the instrument before pulling out little bottles from the hidden pockets of their skirts.

"_Why can't this crazy love be mine?"_

Her gaze traveled around the glee club, and she lifted her sunglasses up when her eyes landed on Ms. Berry.

"_It's not unusual to be mad with anyone."_

Hazel met Rachel's own brown orbs. Her lips fell into a tight line when the student winked and puffed out a ring of smoke.

"_It's not unusual to be sad with anyone."_

Quinn slid her shades back down as she smirked and stood up.

"_But if I ever find that you've changed at any time."_

Rachel swallowed as she watched Quinn slowly descend the stairs. Had she been paying attention to the performance, she would've seen the cheerleaders pour fluid all over the instrument.

"_It's not unusual to find out that I'm in love with you."_

Quinn nonchalantly flicked her cigarette onto the piano as she bypassed the club and the teacher.

Everyone on the quad stared in shock as the purple piano burst into flames.

"Well, damn," Mack laughed while looking at the fire, "looks like she really doesn't give a fuck."

* * *

"I demand you call her into your office immediately and expel her!" Rachel fumed to Principal Figgins.

The principal folded his hands on top of his desk and watched the frantic woman pace around the office. "School's currently over, Ms. Berry; she's probably long gone by now."

Rachel whipped around. "Then call the police and have them search for her! Inform them of the crime she's committed!"

"Now, Ms. Berry…"

"She _burned_ school property!"

"Well, technically it wasn't school property yet, and since it was a donation then that means nothing comes out of the budget…" He trailed off at the angry look on the woman's face.

"That's all you care about, isn't it? It only matters if it benefits the school's money. Let the kids chuck drinks at each other's faces! Let them commit arson! Oh, as long as the funds are okay, let them run _wild!"_ Rachel shouted sarcastically.

"Rachel," Figgins tried to placate, "we will call Miss Fabray into the office first thing tomorrow morning and she will deal with the consequences then."

Rachel huffed. "Why don't you at least call her parents right now?"

The principal sighed. "I already left her mother a message when you told me Miss Fabray skipped detention this morning; however, I've yet to hear back from her. Calling at this hour will probably garner no response from her as well." He rubbed his temples as a headache slowly formed. "We'll deal with all of this tomorrow." Rachel went to protest, so he was quick to continue. "I assure you, she will not get away with this."

Rachel uncrossed her arms. "You're damn right. I'll make sure of it." She turned on her heel and powerwalked out of the office.

* * *

Kurt looked up when he heard the clacking of heels in the hallway. His crestfallen expression turned to one of confusion when he caught sight of Rachel. "Ms. Berry!"

Rachel took a deep breath before turning around to face her student. "Yes, Kurt?"

He quickly reached her. "What did Principal Figgins say about the piano?"

She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "He'll deal with it tomorrow."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Typical."

Rachel finally got a good look at him and bit her lip. "Never mind that, are… are you okay?"

"What?" Kurt nervously scratched his cheek. "Y-yes. Of course…"

Realization dawned on Rachel. "Oh, Kurt! Are you upset about Blaine's performance being cut short by that _act of arson_? Don't worry, I assure you that he's made it into the club and—"

"No, no, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Kurt slumped against a locker. He held his books to his chest and looked at the ground. "I just got done talking to Ms. Pillsbury about college applications, and she strongly suggested I apply to Kent State." He said the name with disgust.

"What's wrong with Kent State?"

"It's in Ohio!" He blurted out as if it were obvious. He sighed. "It's not New York; that's what's wrong with it."

Rachel perked up. "New York?"

"Yes. It's always been my dream to live there."

Rachel felt the tension leave her shoulders as she thought of New York. "Oh, Kurt, do I have the college for you…" She threw an arm over his shoulder and led him down the hallway.

* * *

**A/N:** Chris was the six year senior who waited on Will and Terri in the restaurant in _The Rhodes Not Taken._ I turned him into the older skateboarder mentioned in _The Purple Piano Project._

Please review. I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter, so I'd love to know your thoughts on it.


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